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Dear Friends of the World Food System Center,
This spring, we were delighted to launch new programs and projects together with different scientific and industry partners. These interdisciplinary research projects allow us to co-develop promising solutions that have the potential to push the food system towards more sustainability.
In preparation for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit, we are active in different multi-stakeholder forums in which pathways for food system transformation are sketched and discussed. Such discussions and debates are key. We learn from different of perspectives and ideas, and at the same time, we contribute and stimulate the debate with scientific evidence and concrete examples of research projects conducted in our programs and throughout ETH Zurich.
Kind regards,
Martijn Sonnevelt and the team of the World Food System Center |
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| Center News |
| Center Report (2016-2020) |
| The last five years was a time of growth for the Center, and this report highlights our initiatives in research, education, and outreach with our 46 members groups. |
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 New Executive Office Staff |
Charlotte Kaufmann joined the office in June as an intern. In her role, she supports several outreach and education projects. She completed her bachelor studies in Agricultural Sciences at ETH Zurich and her master studies in Development and Rural Innovation at Wageningen University. She previously worked at Biovision, analyzing the portfolios of international development projects. We welcome Charlotte to the team!
Please see the Executive Office page to learn more about our team. |
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| Research |
| New Agriculture and Food Systems Research Program |
| With this new program, the Center and Nestlé partner to support research to explore scientific solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change while increasing sustainability, nutritional quality, and yield in agriculture. To start the program, Nestlé has provided ETH Zurich with 2.8 million Swiss francs of research funding to support interdisciplinary projects. Joël Mesot, president of ETH Zurich, is delighted about the intensified partnership with Nestlé: “We are looking forward to continuing a long tradition of collaborations with Nestlé as a trusted partner. Only by working together across disciplines and sectors will we be able to provide sustainable and secure food in the long term.” |
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| New Research Collaboration Enhancing Biodiversity & Resilience in Crop Production |
ETH Zurich researchers recently joined forces with Bayer and the International Food Policy Research Institute to develop nature-based solutions that counteract biodiversity loss on farms. The partnership marks the first with a global scale and a special focus on broad acre crops like wheat, corn and soybeans. The project is already rolling, with first surveys for farmers in development. Also, a blog focused on Rethinking Agriculture by Jaboury Ghazoul has been published, and a panel discussion with many of the project participants took place on 29 June.
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| Future Food Intiative |
Braida Thom, Center Project Manager, showcased the Future Food Initiative as a current national initiative contributing to innovation in the food sector. Her presentation on 03 June was part of the "Shift to healthy and sustainable consumption patterns" Independent Dialogue within the United Nations Food Systems Summit, organized by Swissnex in Brazil and the Science and Technology Office of the Swiss Embassy in Seoul.
On 11 June, The Future Food Initiative Networking Event offered a platform for the Future Food Fellows to present their research results to industry partners Bühler Group, Givaudan, and Nestlé. After project pitches, the fellows had the chance to exchange with industry in breakout sessions and establish potential collaborations. The importance of bringing together competences from academic and industrial research to develop solutions to the challenges of food systems was highlighted by ETH Zurich Vice President of Research Detlef Günther in his welcoming words and by EPFL Vice President for Academic Affairs Jan Hesthaven in his closing words. |
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| Education |
| World Food System Center Summer School |
Our summer school is back this August!
The Food Systems in Transition Summer School will be hosted at Gut Rheinau, one of Switzerland’s largest and oldest organic farms. This location allows students to experience food production first hand, living and working in a sustainable, socially integrative food system. Find out more about our summer school |
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| Outreach & Dialogue |
| Science Stories |
| On 25 May, we premiered seven new short films at our Science Stories online event. Guests watched the films to find out results from food systems research projects supported by the Center and networked with others interested in food systems challenges. Thanks to videographer Marius Born and ETH Zurich Prof. Emma Wetter Slack for sharing your insights and to the young researchers who stepped in front of the camera to bring their science stories to life! |
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| Discussing Climate Resilient Food Systems |
| In collaboration with GreenBuzz and the Plant Science Center, the Center held a virtual event focused on the question, How can science, industry and consumers work together and what can they each contribute to increase the resilience of food systems to climate change? |
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| Upcoming Events |
Mark your calendars for our events this fall.
Food Day: Our annual research symposium returns on Friday, 05 November at 17:15 at ETH Zurich!
Upcoming Event Calendar
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| Scientifica 2021: Synthetic - naturally |
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| 04 - 05 September 2021
Visit us at our exhibit "Innovation for Sustainable Development," in collaboration with ETH4D, or take part in our workshop "Naturally delicious: Creating fair chocolate." |
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| ETH Zurich Industry Day |
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08 September 2021
Industry Day is an annual event organised by ETH Industry Relations. The Center will be there to highlight our activities and engage with guests. Come by! |
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| Public Lecture Series on Agroecology |
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| September-December 2021
Our new online lecture series "Agroecology and the transition to sustainable food systems" is structured along the ten elements of agroecology, as proposed by FAO. Registration starts in August. |
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| Member Highlights |
Agricultural Sciences at ETH Zurich is celebrating! The Agricultural Sciences kicked off their 150 years anniversary in May with the premiere of the anniversary film. In the film, Nina Buchmann and other members of the institute give an insight into today's Agricultural Sciences and how things changed compared to 150 years ago. Find more stories on the anniversary webpage.
On Earth Day, Nina Buchmann along with Aron Cramer, CEO of Business for Social Responsibility, presented at the ETH Global Lecture Series: Unusual Partnerships for Planetary Action.
Exciting new interdisciplinary projects
Emmanuel Frossard received funding for a SNF Swiss Programme for International Research by Scientific Investigation Teams project entitled Can organic farming practices increase nitrogen (N) use efficiency and decrease N losses in mature tea plantations in Sri Lanka?
The Plant Nutrition Group is teaming up with institutions from across Europe for the European Space Agency project PaCMan 2: PlAnt characterization unit for closed life support system – Maintenance, subsystem integration, review and scientific deployment.
Awards and Distinctions
Rachael Garrett has been appointed to United Nations Science Panel for the Amazon and the Scientific Expert Panel on the Future of Food Switzerland.
Niklas Möhring received the Hans Vontobel Award for an excellent doctoral thesis producing outstanding findings in the field of agricultural sciences at ETH Zurich.
Mirjam Schleiffer won the 2021 Young Talent Award of the Swiss Society for Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology.
Alessia Delbrück from the Sustainable Food Processing Group won First Place Technical Presentation Student Award at the International Association for Food Protection IAFP European Symposium.
In the News
A recent research collaboration with Coop and the Simulating Biological Systems Group of Thijs Defraeye in Empa News: Cucumber with twin.
Research from the Agricultural Ecology Group of Christian Schöb featured in ETH News in June: Mixed cultures for a greater yield.
Interview with Nina Buchmann in ETH News in June: We have constantly moved and changed.
 ETH Zukunftsblog
Under the topic of sustainability, many of our members post regular contributions to this science blog hosted by ETH Corporate Communications. Read the recent features on new insurance models based on satellite data by Robert Finger, food self-sufficiency by Roman Hüppi, and ethical chocolate by Isabel Günther. |
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| Food Systems Publications |
| Recent publications from WFSC members that highlight their work on food systems topics: |
| • | | Ahrends, H.E. et al. Nutrient supply affects the yield stability of major European crops—a 50 year study. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abc849 |
| • | | Bertsch, P. et al. Proteins from microalgae for the stabilization of fluid interfaces, emulsions, and foams. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.12.014 |
| • | | Bracher, C. et al. Tracing the fate of phosphorus fertilizer derived cadmium in soil-fertilizer-wheat systems using enriched stable isotope labeling. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117314 |
| • | | Bucheli, J. et al. The optimal drought index for designing weather index insurance. European Review of Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbaa014 |
| • | | Chen, J.G. et al. Diversity increases yield but reduces harvest index in crop mixtures. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00948-4 |
| • | | Chen, Y. et al. Micro-computed tomography study on bread dehydration and structural changes during ambient storage. 2021.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2020.110462 |
| • | | Defraeye, T. et al. Digital twins are coming: Will we need them in supply chains of fresh horticultural produce? 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.01.025 |
| • | | dos Reis, J.C. et al. Integrated crop-livestock systems: A sustainable land-use alternative for food production in the Brazilian Cerrado and Amazon. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124580 |
| • | | Ehlers, M.H. et al. Agricultural policy in the era of digitalisation. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.102019 |
| • | | Engbersen, N. et al. Temporal differentiation of resource capture and biomass accumulation as a driver of yield increase in intercropping. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.668803 |
| • | | Garrett, R. Have food supply chain policies improved forest conservation and rural livelihoods? A systematic review. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abe0ed |
| • | | Haberkorn, I. et al. Enhancing single-cell bioconversion efficiency by harnessing nanosecond pulsed electric field processing. 2021.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107780 |
| • | | Heuel, M. et al. Black soldier fly larvae meal and fat can completely replace soybean cake and oil in diets for laying hens. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18602 |
| • | | Keller, M. et al. Soybean meal can be replaced by faba beans, pumpkin seed cake, spirulina or be completely omitted in a forage-based diet for fattening bulls to achieve comparable performance, carcass and meat quality. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061588 |
| • | | Knapp, L. et al. Revisiting the diversification and insurance relationship: Differences between on- and off-farm strategies. Climate Risk Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2021.100315 |
| • | | Le Provost, G. et al. Contrasting responses of above- and belowground diversity to multiple components of land-use intensity. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23931-1 |
| • | | Manzocchi, E. et al. Effects of the substitution of soybean meal by spirulina in a hay-based diet for dairy cows on milk composition and sensory perception. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18602 |
| • | | Merbold. L. et al. Are there memory effects on greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, N2O and CH4) following grassland restoration? 2021. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1481-2021 |
| • | | Messmer, L. et al. Beyond feasibility—the role of motivation to implement measures to enhance resilience. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-021-09952-7 |
| • | | Pool, S. et al. From flood to drip irrigation under climate change: Impacts on evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge in the Mediterranean region of Valencia (Spain). 2021. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001859 |
| • | | Rodriguez, A.C. et al. Mapping oil palm density at country scale: An active learning approach. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112479 |
| • | | Rousset, G., et al. Assessment of deep learning techniques for land use land cover classification in a tropical environment. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13122257 |
| • | | Stamm, C. et al. Towards circular phosphorus: the need of inter- and trans-disciplinary research to close the broken cycle. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01562-6 |
| • | | Stefan, L. et al. Positive effects of crop diversity on productivity driven by changes in soil microbial composition. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.660749 |
| • | | Vroege, W. et al. Satellite support to insure farmers against extreme droughts. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00244-6 |
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 Food Systems Summit Briefs, reports invited by the Scientific Group of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, by WFSC members: |
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